Substack 101
As algorithmic social media feeds become increasingly cluttered with noise and polarization, a growing number of educators and citizens are turning to the "newsletter economy" to reclaim their digital attention. Substack has emerged as a powerful tool in this landscape, offering a space where we can move away from being passive consumers and toward becoming…
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MEL Monthly Meeting
These gatherings are designed exclusively for the 71 people who are currently affiliated with the Lab as core team members, fellows, affiliated faculty, graduate students, or project collaborators.As our work continues to grow in reach, scale, and impact, these monthly meetings give us space to stay connected, share updates, coordinate…
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Together We Rise: December 2025
Dear friends of the Media Education Lab community,Like many of you, we are still processing the school shooting that took place at Brown University last week and the days of fear and anxiety that followed. Many members of the MEL community, including myself, live, work, teach, and study in and around Providence, Rhode Island. Many of you reached out to us in the past days, appreciating the…
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Media & Family Conference
The Catholic University of Croatia (CUC) hosts the "Media and Family in the Age of Artificial Intelligence" conference on December 10, 2025, focusing on media's impact on family life, alongside broader communication conferences addressing disinformation, with participation from international experts, promoting media literacy and digital citizenship, reflecting CUC's engagement in contemporary…
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Analog Tactility for Digital Literacy
Analog Tactility for Digital Literacy: Why AI, Media Arts, and Emerging Technology Are Best Taught Through TouchThis session explores how LitKit’s no-code STEM/STEAM maker kits use augmented reality to connect tactile, analog learning with digital and media literacy outcomes. Designed for high school and undergraduate classrooms, these kits introduce learners to creative technology pathways—…
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New Models for Academic Peer Review: A JMLE Discussion
 What are some alternatives to the double-blind peer review system of academic journals? Not surprisingly, there are quite a few! Each model is trying to fix different weaknesses of traditional double-blind peer review (bias, slowness, opacity, gatekeeping).  Join JMLE Editors for an informal conversation to learn more about the options available as we consider a path forward.  DATE: Thursday,…
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Youth, Media, Identity & Expression
Youth Media, Identity, and Expression: Exploring Voice, Culture, and EmpowermentHow are young people using media to express who they are — and how can we better support those expressions across educational and cultural spaces?DATE:  Friday, October 3, 2025TIME:  12 PM ESTLOCATION: Zoom. Register.  In this interactive…
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Fact Checking (Previously) Invisible History
Fact Checking (Previously) Invisible History: The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Remembrance ProjectIt is important to study and understand our history. This is true for events sometimes perceived as “hard history,” which involved unjust, discriminatory treatment and even violence between different groups and individuals. Researching and fact checking these historical events presents unique as well as…
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Media Literacy: Critical Thinking for an AI World
MEDIA LITERACY Critical Thinking for an AI WorldStarting April 12, 2025 Work with a team of Palestinian and American educators to create a media literacy program for Palestinian young adults to build resilience and critical thinking skills  WHY IT MATTERSIn today's digital age, navigating the complexities of media is crucial for everyone. Media literacy plays a crucial role in building resilience…
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Media Literacy is for Everyone
In response to the enthusiasm and excitement around our last event in October, we are excited to officially invite you back to Rhode Island PBS for the next event in the recurring series, “Media Literacy is for Everyone”.  DATE: Tuesday, February 11 TIME: 5:00 - 7:00 PM ESTLOCATION: Rhode Island PBS, 50 Park Ln, Providence, RI We're dedicated to the process of building relationships, identifying…
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Media Literacy in Massachusetts: A Landscape Scan
The first-ever major statewide initiative to document the scope of media literacy education in American public schoolsClick here to read the report To better understand the status, challenges, and opportunities for advancing media literacy education…
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Media Literacy in Action, 2nd edition 2025
The blurring of entertainment, information, and persuasion is reshaping work, life, and citizenship. As a result, our relationship to media has never been so important nor so complex. By asking critical questions about what they watch, listen to, read, and use, students can be better prepared to be responsible communicators who can use a variety of formats and genres for self-expression and…
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When Teens Create the News
Download the Publication When Teens Create the News:  Examining the Impact of PBS/NewsHour Student Reporting Labs Renee Hobbs, University of Rhode Island Abstract The PBS NewsHour Student Reporting Labs program (www.studentre-portinglabs.com) connects middle and high school students…
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The Routledge Handbook of Media Education Futures Post-Pandemic.
Our team from the Media Education Lab is proud to announce the publication of The Routledge Handbook of Media Education Futures Post-Pandemic.This handbook showcases how educators and practitioners around the world adapted their routine media…
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Create to Learn
Create to Learn helps learners create multimedia texts as they develop both critical thinking and communication skills. Written by Renee Hobbs, one of the foremost experts in media literacy, this book introduces a wide range of conceptual principles at the heart of multimedia composition and digital pedagogy. Its approach is useful for anyone who sees the profound educational value of creating…
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Your Turn to Talk
Now you can participate in online dialogue with people from across the country and around the world with "Your Turn to Talk," a digital interactive learning experience made especially for Renee Hobbs' book, Media Literacy in Action, 2nd edtion.  CLICK HERE…
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Teachers Guide, Media Literacy in Action
 This Teacher’s Guide will help you get the most out of the new textbook by Renee Hobbs, as it offers practical guidance on using this textbook in the classroom. Whether you are an experienced teacher or teaching media literacy for the first time, this guide…
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THE HIVE
When teachers and library media specialists use a student-centered approach to media production, learners create to learn, developing cognitive, social, and socioemotional competencies through creative media production that can support academic achievement across the subject areas. This model consists of six stages where students collaboratively learn to produce media messages. Based on five…
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Librarians on YouTube
Librarians are often challenged to connect with their communities (learners, fellow educators, and the public) with limited time, among competing priorities, and especially recently, across distance. Among many creative approaches to engagement, YouTube offers a fresh approach for librarians to build connections beyond the physical spaces of the library and outside of formal learning environments…
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My Pop Studio
See how My Pop Studio can be used in formal and informal learning settings by browsing the examples below.
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